"Those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that makes our military strong," Obama said during commencement services at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Obama added that "we have to be determined to stop these crimes because they've got no place in the greatest military on Earth."

Earlier this month, the Pentagon released a report saying that as many as 26,000 servicemembers may have been sexually assaulted in 2012 -- up from some 19,000 the year before.